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Thursday, October 2, 2014

The Light Side of Dark Chocolate

As it gets closer to the
fall, there’s nothing like tucking into a delicious dark chocolate bar. Recent
research has shown that this decadent desert shouldn’t be limited to just
special occasions for it’s packed with essential nutrients and is one of the
best sources of antioxidants. Here are 5 facts to convince you to indulge
in a piece of dark chocolate to improve your overall health.

1) Loaded with Nutrients

A 100-gram bar of dark chocolate (70-85% Cacao) contains:

•66% of DV for Iron.

•57% of DV for Magnesium

•97% of DV for Manganese

•11 grams of fiber

•Also contains zinc, calcium, potassium,
phosphorus, etc.…

2) High in Antioxidants

Dark chocolate has many
organic compounds that function as antioxidants.

Some studies have shown that
dark chocolate may even contain more antioxidants than blueberries and other
fruits. Antioxidants are essential for our bodies to neutralize and get rid of
the damaged cells in the bloodstream.

3) Good for your heart

It has been shown that dark chocolate can lower many of the risks
related to heart disease. For example:

During an experiment, cocoa
powder was found to decrease oxidized LDL cholesterol (which is when LDL is
able to damage your tissues, including the arteries in your heart) and reduce
insulin resistance in men.

The anti-inflammatory
compounds in cocoa also help fight chronic vascular inflammation, which helps
prevent heart disease.

It is said that eating dark chocolate everyday can reduce the
risk of heart disease by 1/3.

4) Enhance your workout

The antioxidants catechins
and epicatechins can help you through your workout by increasing your muscle’s
absorption of the nutrients that create energy. The anti-inflammatory compounds
can even decrease the feeling of soreness.

5) Boost your mind

Due to the increase in blood
circulation from eating dark chocolate, there will also be an improved blood flow to the brain.

Research done at University
of Nottingham found that drinking cocoa containing flavanols could improve the
brains performance and alertness for 2-3 hours.

In conclusion, there are
plenty of benefits to eating dark chocolate. However, this does not mean to eat the whole bar since there
is still a lot of calories and sugar in chocolate. The best thing to do is savor one or two pieces a few times a
week. Make sure to choose organic with 70% or higher cocoa content when making
your selection. Eat up!